Manuel R. Espirito Santo Silva
 Manuel R. Espirito Santo Silva    ( Banker) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 30 September 1908 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Died | 28 January 1973 (Age 64) Lisbon, Portugal |
Cause of death | pulmonary embolism |
| Victim of |  premature death |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Parents | José Maria do Espírito Santo Silva |
| Siblings | Ricardo Espírito Santo |
| Member of | Espírito Santo family |
| Relatives | .jpg){kind=small} Ricardo Salgado |
Member of the Portuguese banking Espírito Santo family which did very well out of the Estado Novo fascist government from 1933 until 1974. He took over the company after his brother's death in 1955, and developed an international network of deep state actors and financiers such as the the Rockefeller brothers (David and Nelson), the Wallenbergs, and Prince Bernhard. A defender of the Portuguese colonial empire, he attended the 1966 and 1972 Bilderberg meetings. | |
Manuel R. Espirito Santo Silva was a Portuguese financier and member of the banking Espírito Santo family which did very well out of the Estado Novo fascist government from 1933 until 1974. He took over the company after his brother's death, and developed a network of deep state actors and financiers such as the the Rockefeller brothers (David and Nelson), the Wallenbergs, and Prince Bernhard. A defender of the Portuguese colonial empire, he attended the 1966 and 1972 Bilderberg meetings.
Background
He was part of the rich banking Espírito Santo family, which did very well out of the Estado Novo fascist government from 1933 until 1974. His brother Ricardo Espírito Santo (1900-1955) was a good friend of the Portuguese dictator, António de Oliveira Salazar, and turned the Banco Espírito Santo (BES) into one of the most important financial institutions in Portugal. During the Second World War, as the most powerful man in the Portuguese economy, he had a mutually beneficial friendship with Salazar. While the BES benefitted from Espírito Santo's connections with Salazar, the dictator relied on the banker's connections and information sources to give him a better picture of what was happening than he received from his ministers. BES exploited World War II financially through international transactions for products such as tungsten, which was much in demand by the Germans.
Career
In June 1938 Manuel joined the Portuguese Legion, which as an official paramilitary organization assumed itself as a "defender the spiritual heritage of Portugal". Made up of people committed to defending "Western values", it was based its foundations in the precepts of the Catholic religion.[1]
The family bank was involved in the disbursement of the Marshall Plan funds.[1]
His brother Ricardo Espírito Santo went abroad in the service of the bank, contacts with similar institutions. The international relationship, the prestige it enjoyed in high circles of the continent (in particular in the United Kingdom) and their network of social and professional relations were used in the interests of the bank.[1]
In January 1947, Manuel re-assumed the position of Administrator of the company for which he was re-elected until 1959. His brother José was president of their insurance company from 1935 to 1968.[1]
Not yet having such a wide range of international contacts like brother Ricardo, who died in 1955, he soon established precious relationships with some of the world's leading bankers, who proved decisive for the bank's participation in the international financing of various projects of interest to the country. Two years after ascending to the presidency of the institution, the first business project provided by these connections materializes that Banco Espírito Santo had with David Rockefeller's Chase Manhattan Bank. The Bank participated in the building of a tire factory in Alcochete (opened 1958). And because the law did not allow that foreign shareholder participation in a domestic company could exceed 40 percent, the Espirito Santo family subscribed a third of the funds.[1]
Less than a week before the start of the armed struggle of the independence movements in the African territories in 1961, Manuel Espírito Santo focused the political question in these terms: "Portugal was attacked on purpose- in Africa, because it is necessary to attack Portugal and that was an easier pretext, because Africa is fashionable." The election of the Democrat John Kennedy for the presidency of the United States had brought to the forefront of international politics is the issue of decolonization. A (fawning) biography writes that "Convinced that misinformation in the Western world concerning Portugal was at the origin of the assaults on national sovereignty, he becomes a defender a supporter of the political position of Portugal in relation to the colonies, especially Angola."[1]
Manuel believed in territorial integrity of the Portuguese empire, and has no doubts about its destiny: "United we will face the future and this wave, like so many others, will pass". He planned actions at the international level. In April he sends William Butler Sherwell - a great friend of his brother Ricardo and Vice President of the prestigious North American banking institution Manufacturers Trust Company, three hundred and fifty copies of a speech Salazar delivered on the outbreak of armed struggle in Angola. He asks his friend to distribute them to American media and libraries (which he did not do).[1]
He receives informally, on occasions, the Nixon couple, the Rockefeller Brothers (David and Nelson), Walter Salomon, Chairman of REA Brothers Ltd. And also Giscard d'Estaing, Minister of Finance in Charles de Gaulle's government and future president of the France, Prince Bernhard, the US Firestone couple, and the count and countess of Paris To these joined other names such as King Simeon of Bulgaria, crown prince Juan Carlos of Spain, the former monarch Umberto II of Italy and sons, the president of the bank of Tokyo Shigeo Horie, the Prince of Liechtenstein, the Wallenbergs, and George Woods, President of the World Bank. In 1969, he was invited to Nixon's inauguration.[1]
He was offered the job of Ambassador to the United States twice, but declined, saying he was more influential from Portugal.[1]
He died of a pulmonary embolism after returning from Paris in 1973.[1]
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1966 | 25 March 1966 | 27 March 1966 | Germany Wiesbaden Hotel Nassauer Hof | Top of the agenda of the 15th Bilderberg in Wiesbaden, Germany, was the restructuring of NATO. Since this discussion was held, all permanent holders of the position of NATO Secretary General have attended at least one Bilderberg conference prior to their appointment. |
| Bilderberg/1972 | 21 April 1972 | 23 April 1972 | Belgium Hotel La Reserve Knokke | The 21st Bilderberg, 102 guests. It spawned the Trilateral Commission. |
| International Monetary Conference/1970 | 17 May 1970 | 20 May 1970 | US Virginia Hot Springs The Homestead | Secretive meeting of the world's top bankers. |
